Robocath adds $5.5m for R-One robotic stenting platform, taps Goffart as new CEO

September 3, 2019 By Sean Whooley

Robocath said today that it raised nearly $6 million for the release of its robotic system in European target markets and tapped Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) veteran Lucien Goffart to be its new CEO.

Rouen, France-based Robocath said it plans to use the $5.5 million (€5 million) in new funds to lay the groundwork for its R-One robotic coronary angioplasty platform, which won CE Mark approval last February.

In 2017, Robocath landed $5.2 million in one funding round, before adding $2 million just more than six months later.

Existing investors Go Capital, NCI, Normandie Participations, M Capital and Supernova Invest participated in the round, joined by new backers Caisse d’Epargne Normandie Innovation, Crédit Agricole Innove en Normandie and Crédit Agricole subsidiary Unexo.

Goffart, a 20-year veteran of the interventional cardiology space, spent the last four years as the business manager for France at Boston Scientific.

“I’m delighted to welcome Lucien Goffart to the company at such a key moment for us with the commercial launch of our first robotic platform,” founder & president Philippe Bencteux said in prepared remarks. “His experience in the industry is undeniable. This appointment has been made at a particularly auspicious time, with our only direct competitor, Corindus Vascular Robotics, having been bought out by Siemens for $1.1 billion (€1 billion). I would like to thank our longstanding shareholders, who have once again demonstrated their belief in us by raising this new capital. We are also grateful for the support shown by new shareholders.”

“It’s an honor for me to begin work today as CEO of Robocath,” Goffart added. “I’m impressed by the progress the company has made since it was founded and I’m excited to be working with such a young and dynamic team. R-One is a unique product that offers several advantages to physicians and, by extension, to patients. It has significant potential on the market, and I’m looking forward to starting clinical studies and writing a brand new page in the history of interventional cardiology.”

($1 = €0.911859)

How SpaceX is helping Medtronic prepare for the next pandemic wave
As COVID-19 cases erupted around the globe earlier this year, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) faced unprecedented demand for its ventilators. At first, Medtronic engineer Matt Phillips wasn’t sure how the company was going to supply enough ventilators to meet the surging global need. Then Elon Musk called with a proposal. Space Exploration Corporation (SpaceX), Elon Musk’s California-based company… […]
Could hydrogels and magnetic fields grow new cartilage?
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are touting a new way to potentially rebuild complex body tissues to fix common injuries like cartilage degeneration. Following the publication of research in Advanced Materials, those involved are suggesting that the rebuilding process for these body tissues could be done by using a magnetic field and hydrogels, according to… […]
U of M researchers receive $6.6M to develop neuromod device for mental health
Researchers at the University of Minnesota were last month awarded a $6.6 million grant to develop a device for treating mental health disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health provided the grant award in support of the development of a new medical device for treating those disorders by using brain rhythms, something that hasn’t been… […]
Stryker launches ‘smart’ hospital bed
Stryker today announced the global launch of the industry’s first and only completely wireless hospital bed, ProCuity. ProCuity was designed to help reduce in-hospital patient falls at all acuity levels, improve nurse workflow and safety, and help lower hospital costs, according to Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker. It is the only bed on the market today that… […]
3M and Eko collaborate on stethoscopes
3M (NYSE:MMM) and Eko announced today that they are collaborating to combine 3M’s Littmann stethoscope with Eko’s digital innovations. St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M’s new Littmann CORE digital stethoscope includes capabilities for clinicians to access both analog and digital auscultation options, along with amplification and noise cancellation and the visualization of sound during auscultation. 3M and Oakland,… […]
Henkel, Carbon expand 3D-printing partnership
Henkel and Carbon today announced a partnership that will make Henkel’s single-component technologies immediately available to Carbon customers for use with Carbon’s additive manufacturing process. The agreement includes access to Henkel’s Loctite 3D IND405 clear resin, certified for Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis (Carbon DLS) 3D-printing process. Loctite 3D IND405 may be used for enclosures and housings, light… […]
This surgeon developed an abdominal device to reduce hospital stays
Many doctors have visualized devices to solve medical problems. The founder and CEO of Noleus Technologies has devised one to address prolonged hospital stays after abdominal surgery. As a practicing surgeon specializing in surgical oncology, colon and rectal surgery, Dr. Swarna Balasubramaniam had an idea over 20 years ago that she thought could make surgeons’… […]
Supply chain tool IDs COVID-19 supply shortages
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has developed an online platform to identify COVID-19 and non-COVID testing supply shortages. In partnership with the Associaton for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), ASM developed the platform to identify and monitor the testing supplies to be made aware of shortages in real-time, according to a news release. Get the… […]
Saraca Solutions seeks to slash clinical evaluation report times
Saraca Solutions announced today that it has developed a tracking tool to reduce the time it takes to create an update for a clinical evaluation report (CER). A CER documents conclusions for a medical device’s clinical evaluation. It consists of analyzed clinical data collected from either investigation of a company’s device or studies of substantially… […]
These small companies are making big COVID-19 contributions
Major companies continue grabbing the headlines around the COVID-19 pandemic, but smaller companies have contributed their share toward helping patients, boosting research and keeping frontline workers safe. This week, Minnesota’s Medical Alley Association issued a report on its members’ pandemic responses, including companies large and small, from telehealth providers to a tube-feeding company. We wanted… […]
Schurter adds switch for harsh environments
Schurter recently debuted a piezoelectric switch, PSE, which is installation-ready with its pre-assembled 15-meter-long cable. The potted polyurethane cable offers installation flexibility with the highest IP67 protection according to IEC 60529 and IP69K according to DIN 40050-9, according to the company. Designed to be waterproof from its surface to its electrical connections the switch’s housing… […]